pslewis

Comparing prices now with prices in 2000 just doesn't stack up these days.

In the very same way that my SONY Trinitron 29" TV cost me £699 in 1995 ...... does a 42" Plasma TV cost £3000 (allowing for inflation)? NO it doesn't!! It can be had for £499!!!

And neither do cars, generally ..... £33,000 will buy an awful lot these days - much better quality, better build, better power, better, better and better than a STi HatchBack - sadly

Just looking at the quality of the STi (much worse than a Skoda) - it should be priced at £19,999 ................... only a fool would pay a penny more, IMO. Even then, I wouldn't buy one (too expensive compared to what is available cheaper!).

Littleted

Lol not to sound negative mr p name me 2 that cost sub 3Ok that do 0-60 in under 5.5 and are 4 wd and I don't want 2nd hand shizzle

Quality yeah I agree with you this can be sort,

But an example I've just seen is the it manager of a large mail company I'm currently working for has a bludgeon of that very figure 20k and he has to find something new that nice and fast, and it's quite hard really

So far he's got shortlisted a seat Ibiza bocanegra and a volvo d3 all the rest break that barrier and he doesn't want civic nor a skoda cos if u ever speak to a skoda driver within the first min of talking they will say it's vw u know say no more lol

Lad in my team has the vrs diesel it's ok but **** inside and suspension is rock hard even harder than my special spec c

pslewis

You knida miss my point really .... time has moved on, those who have moved on with it don't care if their new car does the 0-60 sprint in 5.5 seconds ................ because, in the real world, it's an utterly pointless measure.

No, they want 55 mpg - not 20!! OR 10 mpg if you drive around like a complete spanner, trying to replicate the stated 5.5 seconds to 60!!

I spent less than £18k getting a high quality, economical, powerful new vehicle - it has all the luxuries you would want and it's buid quality is 1000 times better than a STi costing very nearly TWICE as much!! In everyday driving and overtaking, my new chariot would match an STi.

If you put the 0-60 time on the back burner, there are plenty of very able cars - better than any STi in all other respects - for £33,000 or less.

MaDaSS

Pete, if not your current car, what else interests you?

pslewis

Do you mean which cars did I test drive as contenders for my hard earned?

If so, it is a long list!!

From memory, all brand new:-

Subaru Impreza WRX-S
Subaru Impreza STi
(I really did want another Subaru!)
Mazda 3 MPS
Mazda 6 Sport 2.5
Skoda Octavia vRS
Vauxhall Insignia Elite
Vauxhall Astra SRi
Ford Focus ST3
Volvo C30
Honda Civic Type R
Honda Civic Type S GT 1.8 petrol + 2.2 Diesel
VW Golf GTi
Audi RS3 and A3

There were more, but cannot recall them all right now .....

I didn't have a budget, as such. If it needed to cost £50k to get what I wanted I would have paid that.

In the end I actually only needed to pay less than £18,000 to give me all I wanted

MaDaSS

Your impressions on the RS3 and A3? Did you bother with owt like the S4 or S3?
Some car list that is Pete! I ought to try the same, LOL.

nick172sport

iTrader: (6)

remapped mondeo tdci thats says it all will beat a scoob o.60 allday

Littleted

your right in that sence Mr P there are alot of standard normal cars that are good under 20k, i bought my wife a Zafira Elite 10k fantastic car, gets 43 to the gallon full leather .

But i take a step back from the STANDARD car and wanted one that makes me smile when i drive it

Ive been in your situation so many times, mr sensible ive had Audi A4 diesels and Civic EX diesels and after the first month its boring, its a car but if your prorities are not car related then hats off to you, as my wife said when she drove mine to her its a purple car ( plasma blue love ) thats it

What does intreage me however is you have a Civic yet quoted above you test drove an RS3 these are so new i hazard a guess it must have been in the last couple of months, so you were either wasting audis time or wanted to get a buzz

what i dont understand is u could spend 50k on a car but took a civic surely an audi A3 loaded would have been much better for you, civics are good but the internals are somewhat spaceship/tacky like.

love to know what youd buy if you had to buy a new one

what would it be ?

pslewis

Sorry, got it wrong .... it was a S3, or S4? I took out - as close to the Impreza wagon as you could get ..... close the eyes and you are driving a Classic Scooby!!

But, the silly price did not offer value for money!

73henny

No, in the end you paid less than £18k for a car that Honda had to give away because the engine is so crap / outdated / dirty / emission failure. Had you waited a few weeks you'd have got it for next to nothing. Guess the dealer saw you coming.

pslewis

Please don't get me wrong ..... despite my pre-conceived ideas ....... the Honda Civic 2.2 Diesel did what any car has to do for me, make me grin from ear to ear!! It was an accident that I found myself inside a smokey, rattly, diesel - I couldn't have been more blown away by it!! Honestly - it is fantastic, rips your neck off if you let it - but, and here is the great bit!! It delivers 55 mpg!!

It was a S3 or S4 I took out .... as close to my Classic Impreza as I could get, brilliant - but, at £32k for a 6 month old it was simply stupid money (it was loaded with all options).

£50k wasn't my budget either - not wishing to blow my trumpet, but there are very few cars I cannot buy, if I wanted to. But, I'm a tight fisted Yorkshireman and every £ must buy a £ worth of value ............ overpriced cars do not tickle me whatsoever (and all Audis are overpriced!).

I am not so stupid and gullible to let a badge cloud my judgement - I make a judgement based of facts and feelings. Hence the Skoda considerations ....... but, the vRS really didn't make me smile and it looks like a Taxi (I could never get over the looks).

The Civic interior is an amazing place to be - like the bridge on the starship Enterprise - not to everyones taste, but certainly makes this Electronic Engineer sit up and admire! The shape isn't to everyones liking either ..... but, it is like nothing else on the roads and I like being different! Add the smiles per mile and you have the complete package for the thinking man.

pslewis

What a stupid statement!

Yes, the engine had to be discontinued as to meet the European Emission Regs. would have entailed too much adjustment - even adding a DPF!!

One of the reasons I bought it was that it did NOT have a DPF!!

To say it is a crap engine shows you up, to be honest, Honda do not make a crap engine - everyone will acknowledge that, whether they like Honda's or not.

Littleted

rips my Kneck off LOL come on now, i know your laughing at yourself with that comment.

agree with the audi comment i priced a Black ediditon up 37k LOL fack that

i paid 23400 for my 2.0 143 sline back in 2006, now it would be 30k

come on then what would you buy next ?

alfamarc

1.1 fiesta?

pslewis

What would I buy next?

Depends what's around in 10 years time (and if I am still driving then!). Probably Electric!

On the other hand, I have a very fine 16 year old MX5 is amazing condition - used to play in for 2,000 miles a year. I do fancy popping it in storage as an investment and buying a new MX5 ... maybe a Limited Edition 'KENDO' at £22,500 or thereabouts? And keep it for as long as I have to drive.

pslewis

Your Mummy will be shouting at you if you don't get that homework done!!!

73henny

Still biting I see.

Truth is we're talking about a car that is such a hit they discontinued it -and didn't replace it with a modern deisel.

pslewis

You may have missed what Honda are doing ..... they don't see the future as Diesel, obviously. However good their old Diesel was, they didn't want to compromise.

73henny

Its you that has missed what Honda is doing........ they still have a diesel in the new accord and the crappy pseudo 4wd CRV. Its just the civic that doesn't anymore. Go figure.

pslewis

The Civic is due a change in 2012 .... sell off the stock and don't build anymore. Sensible.

What part of 'normal business' don't you quite understand?

mantazini

iTrader: (25)

Oh dear...here we go again Pete BTW im getting a Skoda diesel..................as a runaround and keeping my classic for fun.....
Wake up Pete , your civic ain Sh.... How can u compare it to any perfomace car??? But yes, many people many opinions

73henny

2012?, so what, its such a sales hit they pull it in 2010 and miss 2 years without a diesel model? I think not.

More like, we've sold very few, so we won't make any money fitting a clean diesel to an old car.

pslewis

I'm so happy for you ......

pslewis

That's great news!!

I have a car that is as rare as hens teeth and so highly desirable too .... sounds excellent for residuals

mantazini

iTrader: (25)

Im happy for u too bud, its all good banter ..... life would be boring if we live , like , think the same....

pslewis

That's the words I live my life by!

ste_brough

iTrader: (2)

8.6s 0-60 rips your neck off?

Getting a little stiffer in your old age is it?

alfamarc

Still think you should have gone for a fiesta 1.1 - mk1

Miles better than a diesel Honda

pslewis

See, there you go getting all **** about published 0-60 times ..... like everyone knows, they actually mean jack **** in the real world. You know, the one where every day, in fact ANY day, is not Santa Pod

I'm talking where you are travelling at 50 MPH and wish to dispatch a lorry, bus, STi Impreza or some such vehicle ..... then, the 0-60 time and 500 BHP matters not one jot!! It's the stomach squeezing 340Nm's of Torque which comes into play - the in gear times where the Honda diesel does it's best work (and where it really matters, I'm sure all will agree!).

Anyway, this has moved topic somewhat - what I started was Subaru Uk wanting £33,450 for what is, in reality, a very poor quality HatchBack. Yes, if you want to race off at the lights and light the tarmac it may be the car for you - but, most men have moved on from that desire by the age of 18 in any case.

Nah, whichever way you cut it, the STi is vastly overpriced, embarrassingly cheaply built, has been exceeded by many others and simply doesn't stack up anymore.

Bring the price point to £19,999 and you start to get value for money - but, and this is the painful bit for Subaru UK, even at £19,999 a sub £18,000 Diesel makes far more sense. That's why they are not selling. It's sad, but that's the way of the world in 2011.

stanmo

iTrader: (1)

I don't think we're necessarily after a low 0-60 figure, more the feeling when you floor the pedal. Never having tried the Honda 2.2 diesel, it could be the mid range that matches the classic UK turbo punch.

I didn't realise how much it had aged, after I drove it back to back with my Type 25, it felt it had much, much longer gearing and needed more revs to shift, and mine was moderately tuned with a hybrid TD04 turbo - how it held it's own against a 911 cabrio some years ago, I still find surprising.

Nowadays, I need the same effort to get the same buzz in my current car, even though there's 100bhp/ton more than the old car - the added refinement of the new age, the lack of fuss in reaching silly speeds, and the adrenaline doesn't flow as readily as it used to, all adds up to neutering the experience.

I reckon the latest STI is getting to the same speed faster and with less fuss than a classic UK car, that you're missing the off-boost/on-boost sensation.

Can't argue about the low-rent interiors, though. Pricing up an Audi All Road as a prospective Outback replacement, still ended up 10k more than the 3.6 Outback, albeit with nicer carpet - so it's not just Subaru upping the prices, even taking the Yen/GBP rate in consideration.

By a similar argument, are Audi's similarly overpriced? Just with slightly nicer trim?